Cider Audio Roundup

Cider: Not Just for Reading About

Or drinking, for that matter, though it’s definitely for that! No, what I’m talking about, dear reader, is audio.

That’s right: sound waves, transmitted through the air to the machinery of your ears, then through some unimaginably complex biological processes in the brain that render it back into words. Words about cider.

Turns out there’s a growing amount of audio content out there around cider–which I’m thrilled about because I’m fast becoming a podcast fiend. Below are some examples that I think you’ll enjoy.

Cider Guide

If you haven’t worked your way through Eric West’s Cider Guide Podcast episodes yet, you’re missing out: there are some great interviews there to be perused.

Cider Chat

I have to admit that I’m a bit late to the Cider Chat podcast party, so I don’t have a lot to say about it yet. That won’t last long, however–I’ve started into the content generated from Cidercon 2016, and I like what I hear.

Here are a couple examples:

Got Juice? (an interview with a major apple juice supplier to the cider industry)

Speaking of Cidercon 2016, I’ll have some related content coming out soon–I attended it, and it was enlightening. I was there less as a cider blogger this year as someone looking to get into the cider production business, so my observations are more along those lines and will likely appear on ciderschool rather than here.

Heritage Radio Network

The Heritage Radio Network has recently featured cider within such programs as Beer Sessions Radio and Fuhmentaboudit.

A basic search of their site will give you a good idea of what’s available overall. Here are a few recommendations

Cider Week 2014–a whole bushel of interviews; a bit dated, but still golden

MeadMakr

Seeing as I’m just about as obsessed with Mead as I am with cider, I’d be remiss without mentioning the MeadMakr podcast. I feel like there’s a lot of overlap between the cider and mead communities…some meaderies make great cider (e.g., Moonlight Meadery’s How Do You Like Them Apples), some great ciders have added honey, and both segments are small (in absolute terms) yet fast-growing.

I actually find the collision of the beer and wine schools of thinking that cider is at the epicenter of to be very interesting. As more and more consumers are finding cider after cutting their teeth on craft beer, I think it’s a dynamic cidermakers from the wine tradition need to consider.

While education is the goal, talking over the heads of novice craft beer fans who just showed up at your tasting room with rarified wine terminology is probably not the best approach to easing these folks into the world of cider, given their experience with both beer-drinking culture and the mass-market sugar bomb ciders that they’ve likely encountered.

Food for thought…

Micro Brewr

Here’s another one that I just recently discovered–it’s oriented toward micro brewery startup, and has a few episodes about cider (I’ve yet to listen to them, but they’re next on my list):

Miscellaneous

Maybe you’re not in the mood for cider per se. That’s fine, though normally my response would be that you’re reading the wrong blog. Today, though, here’s a not-explicitly-cider-related apple podcast that is nonetheless fascinating:

Audiobooks

The books page is a resource which includes numerous cider-related books and other publications. I’ve recently added audiobook links to the entries there for those books which have a version available on Audible. Enjoy!

Final Thoughts

Have I missed any interesting cider-related audio content that you’d like to recommend? By all means, mention it in the comments section!

Oh, and in case you were wondering what connection the featured image of a can of cider and my cat has to do with cider podcasts, don’t: there’s no connection.

I like cider and cats and podcasts…do I really need to have a reason to inflict any of them on you?

4 Comments on Cider Audio Roundup

Thanks Dan for the Cider Chat podcast mention.
Chatting about cider makes me pretty giddy so when I see that you call it a ‘party’ – well you just made my day!
Lots of great episodes coming up:
Curt Sherrer, Milstone Ciders, Maryland – Ep 20
Bill Bradshaw | I am Cider, UK Ep 21
And more on Cheese and cider pairings
Neil Worley speaks on keeving,
Texas Cidermakers in Austin,
and a special chat from John Bunker on Apple Identification
-Ciderville is a magical place!
And tip of the hat to you for this great blog and for helping move the cider consumer and all of us forward.
Cheers!

Thanks, Ria! I see you were busy tracking down cider luminaries at Cidercon–I look forward to hearing these interviews! I enjoyed Neil Worley’s presentation on Wild Yeast immensely, so I’m looking forward to the keeving discussion in particular.

You are omitting perhaps the best 2-3 hours of apple associated audio ever recorded.

The Botany of Desire, by Michael Pollan
Chapter One
Desire: Sweetness
Plant: The Apple

It is worth chasing this down on Audible or any other audio book source. Michael Pollan explores the history of apples in America and goes into incredible detail on how John Chapman, by distributing seeds, originated the massive diversity of American apples that thrive in each unique climate, making our apples truly American. He also points out the impetus was not ‘ to keep the doctor away’ but rather to provide the only source of alcohol in the expanding frontier.